Emergency

The University Veterinary Teaching Hospital Sydney operates an emergency and critical care service that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We provide immediate evaluation and care for your pet, with no appointment or previous history with UVTHS. Our experienced veterinarian and nursing team provides excellent care for your pet at any time of the day or night.

Here are some of the commons reasons to bring your pet to emergency, but if you are uncertain if your pet needs to see emergency, please call our team.

1. If you think your pet needs emergency assistance, call us. Our 24 hour vet team will assist you by phone before you make your way to our Sydney animal hospital with your pet.
2. Make your way to the main entrance of our hospital and ring the bell. The car park and entrance are well lit. Doors are locked for security purposes after hours.
3. All pets will be triaged by our experienced nursing staff upon arrival to determine the severity of their condition. Pets will be seen based on the severity of their condition and not the time of presentation. This is to ensure priority is given to the most serious conditions.
4. An emergency vet and a final year vet student will examine your pet.
5. Following examination, the veterinarian will determine what problems need to be addressed and will recommend necessary treatments and diagnostics to help your pet.
6. If your pet is stable, it may be treated and sent home. If your pet is determined to require hospitalisation, then you will be provided with an estimate of costs associated with the recommended course of action.

The Critical Care (CC) service at the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital offers 24-hour oversight 7 days a week. Pets are admitted to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) when critically ill, requiring moment-to-moment monitoring and adjustments in medications and other therapies.

Pets with the following conditions can benefit  from oversight by the critical care service:

• respiratory distress
• severe trauma
• shock
• overwhelming full-body infection (sepsis)
• life-threatening neurologic problems
• unstable post-operative patients
• severe toxin ingestion
• and post cardiac arrest care.

The Emergency and Critical Care Unit is staffed by a dedicated team of exceptional nurses and experienced veterinarians. The unit is overseen by a highly experienced ECC Veterinarian who has been a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Emergency and Critical Care for over 5 years and also has a PhD in critical care. 

The Critical Care team can provide critical care, including, but not limited to:

• oxygen support
• mechanical ventilation
• intensive monitoring (continuous ECG, invasive/non-invasive blood pressure monitoring, capnography, blood gas analysis)
• blood transfusions
• nutritional support

The ECC service works closely with the other specialty services to provide an integrative approach that affords patients the highest level of care.